Three Chesterton
High School teams take the last step toward that goal on Saturday as they
compete in IHSAA Semistate events.

Things get started
for the Trojans at 10:30 a.m. when the girls cross country team competes at
New Prairie, followed by the boys race at 11:15 a.m. The top-ranked boys
soccer team will face No. 3 Ft. Wayne Carroll at 4 p.m. in Kokomo.

Boys Cross Country

The Trojans will
face one of the deepest fields in Indiana at New Prairie on Saturday.

“It’s truly going
to take a collective effort from all seven of us to get through to the State
Finals,” Chesterton coach Tim Ray said. “The teams ahead of us are so good
that in order for us to have a shot, we need to stick to the game plan and
be confident in our abilities.”

CHS won the New
Prairie Regional last weekend and have run the course three times this
season.

“They are such a
tight knit group, not only in their abilities, but also outside of school
that the strength of this team is not wanting to let the other guy down,”
Ray said. “That is very powerful going into an important race. I know at the
end of the race they will have given everything they got and as a coach,
that's all you can ask for.”

Girls Cross Country

The Trojans return
to New Prairie fresh off a Regional title last weekend with their sites set
on a State Finals berth.

“It's going to take
all seven girls performing to the best of their abilities,” first-year
Chesterton coach Lindsay Moskalick said. “The girls are going to need to be
aware of which teams are around them and respond to any moves that are made
during the race. It is going to be a tight race between 7-8 teams and only
six can make it to State.”

Shelby Bullock is
the front runner for Chesterton after winning Sectional and Regional titles
on back-to-back weekends.

“Shelby is going to
have more competition this week,” Moskalick said. “She is going to be
competing against girls who are very similar in time and fitness. I've been
telling her and the team that anything can happen during the race. Shelby
and I haven't really discussed her winning, but more about her racing the
competition and seeing where that puts her at the end.”

One of the State’s
deepest fields bombard New Prairie, including West Lafayette and Warsaw, who
join local teams like Valparaiso, Lowell, Crown Point, Lake Central and
Wheeler.

“Some of these
teams we haven't raced yet, have raced a few times, or raced every weekend
this post season,” Moskalick said. “All of them are trying to punch their
ticket to the State Finals just like we are. It's going to be a close race
among everyone and will be exciting to see the final outcome.”

Boys Soccer

The Trojans haven’t
lost all year (19-0-2), but did fall during the summer to Ft. Wayne Carroll
and they remember.

“We played Carroll
in the summer and lost to them at IPFW,” first-year coach Lucas Sabedra
said. “It was a battle and we saw them celebrate after they beat us. I’m
sure the boys remember that.”

The teams will vie
for a berth in the Class 3A State Finals.

“If we play our
best game, create and pass the ball around, I like our chances,” Sabedra
said. “We have to be confident and match their intensity.”

Carroll is led by
junior Peyton Fosnough with 16 goals and 10 assists on the season. Senior
Nolan Gonzalez has eight goals and junior Sam Michaels has four goals (10
assists).

“They are a big,
physical team,” Sabedra said. “They are not a slower build-up team like we
are. They play more direct to a target up top and they want to make quick
transitions.”

The teams played
two common opponents this year in Crown Point and Northridge.

The Trojans beat
Crown Point twice (3-1 in 2 OT, 3-0) and Northridge (4-3) in the Regional
finals. Carroll beat Northridge 2-1 and tied with Crown Point (0-0).

Chesterton will
also be bringing a No. 19 national ranking according to the USA Today,
United Soccer Coaches Association poll to the match.

“It’s quite an
honor for the team,” Sabedra said. “It puts them on the map and they should
be proud of it. I don’t even know if they realize how cool it is to be in
that ranking. That’s the coaches poll, not a computer generated one.

“But, it doesn’t
score you any goals. It can be gone next week if we don’t take care of
business Saturday.”